Horse killed in tornado now has foals thanks to CSU science

FORT COLLINS — On May 22 of last year, as a mile-long tornado tore through northern Colorado, Tuesday - an American Quarter Horse mare - took cover behind a shed.

But the winds proved too great and the shed collapsed on top of Tuesday, breaking her leg.

"She was my best friend," said Jennifer Mears, Tuesday's owner.

Tuesday was taken from the ranch in Lucerne to Colorado State University Veterinary Hospital in Fort Collins where she was put down.

"The final goodbye was the hardest part," Mears told 9NEWS last year. "Being with her that one last time was probably the hardest thing I've ever had to do and knowing that she was never going to come home again."

But Tuesday's story didn't end there.

Veterinarians with CSU's Equine Reproduction Laboratory harvested Tuesday's eggs and used a highly-specialized process to inject sperm into them and implant them into surrogate mares.

All this was done for free.

Two mares eventually became pregnant.

A home in Windsor reflects the power of the tornado that tore through town. (THE DENVER POST | KARL GEHRING)

"The outcome is the result of a decade's worth of work," said Dr. Pat McCue, director of the Equine Reproduction Laboratory.

In late April, both foals were born. Both are male and both are healthy.